A dose of rainwater can really screw the chemical balance.
So…we drain down the pond. I thought the pump might have clogged, but it’s just the crappy hose—-I had great hopes for one of those superlight hoses, but the friction inside and the small diameter is such that water does not come out with force. Don’t bother, unless a half-hearted delivery is ok for your application.
So I work, I write, I run out to check on the pond—fortunately I can see it from my working chair—and to get sweated up. With the luxury of as much iced root beer as I can drink (thank you, Soda Stream!) I can stay cool—it’s nasty out there—but a shower is going to be in order: I think I want to use a stick to transport these clothes to the washing machine. And we’re out of washing soap.
It’s been amazing this year, just real hard to control the algae. But here we go, one more round with it.
I am not sure if this has been covered before but are there not algae eating fish you could employ?
The koi will eat them. The koi themselves eat algae. But unfortunately the combination of intense sun and new water—and algae that ride in on the storm—is unbeatable. My best bet is to lower the concentration of algae by first lowering the water level, then flooding in clean water. And dechlorinating that.
I get a gardening catalogue every now and then. I have no idea why because the word ‘gardening’ would imply I have some contact with my yard. I do not. I wave to the neighbor who mows for us.
Anyway, this catalogue does have a ‘Pond solutions’ section, including something about barley straw. Here’s a page of some of their stuff: http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Search-Show?q=pond
I note with some amusement that the Aquasphere Pond Cleaner and the Submersible Dispenser have identical Before and After pictures… Which one is lying, or are both? It certainly decreases my level of trust in all the site’s products.
I think I would see what CJ uses, if I had a pond to care for.